Overview

Cycle of Lies by New York Times reporter Juliet Macur is the definitive account of the rise and fall of the most famous athlete of our generation, Lance Armstrong, through unprecedented access to the key players in his life, and the investigation into the allegations of systemic doping. Relying on previously unpublished documents, Cycle of Lies reveals how Armstrong managed to perpetuate his myth for so long, the fortress he built to protect his image and upend anyone who got in...

More About
This Book

Overview

Cycle of Lies by New York Times reporter Juliet Macur is the definitive account of the rise and fall of the most famous athlete of our generation, Lance Armstrong, through unprecedented access to the key players in his life, and the investigation into the allegations of systemic doping. Relying on previously unpublished documents, Cycle of Lies reveals how Armstrong managed to perpetuate his myth for so long, the fortress he built to protect his image and upend anyone who got in his way, and why he fell so quickly.

Spanning 14 critical years in Armstrong's cycling career, Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong covers his comeback from cancer, to the business deals that would make him a millionaire many times over, until the moment he stepped down as the chairman of his Livestrong charity. The story features key characters such as disgraced Tour de France champion Floyd Landis; Armstrong teammate George Hincapie; and Kristin Richard, Armstrong's first wife and possible doping accomplice.

The history of one of the most precipitous and unceremonious falls in the history of sports, Cycle of Lies delves into exactly who was complicit in keeping Lance Armstrong’s doping a secret from his legion of fans.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times
- Mark Kram Jr.

…compelling…sharply observed…Cycle of Lies is a scrupulously reported and sourced book.

New York Times Daily Book Review

“A compelling account…Cycle of Lies is a scrupulously reported and sourced book… a search for an understanding of the man behind the myth.”

Library Journal

09/15/2013
An award-winning investigative reporter covering sports for the New York Times, Macur shows us what Lance Armstrong lost when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined that he had used illicit performance-enhancing drugs. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

Kirkus Reviews

2014-03-30
The definitive—well, until the next exposé comes along—account of cycling champion and charlatan Lance Armstrong's well-oiled career and its sordid collapse. New York Times writer Macur begins with a set piece, our fallen, disgraced hero having been found out and forced to leave his comfortable digs, in this case, an Austin mansion stuffed with the goodies that millions of dollars in sponsorships and endorsements can bring. "Armstrong doesn't want to move, he has to," writes the author portentously. "His sponsors have abandoned him, taking away an estimated $75 million in future earnings." Of course, they did so since, after years of rumors and outright accusations, it has finally been established without doubt that Armstrong won his races, including several Tour de France titles, with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs. Macur is a no-stones-unturned reporter on that score, assembling a convincing history of that shadowy subject and establishing that competitive cycling and doping have always gone hand in fingerless glove. However, though Macur is scrupulous in allowing Armstrong plenty of room to have his say, there's not much here that we didn't learn in the course of the documentaries and 60 Minutes segments that accompanied the bicyclist's gradual fall over the last couple of years. The reporting is thorough and the writing good, but in the end, the salient facts are really the stuff of a magazine piece, which makes the book overlong. And though Armstrong has freely admitted taking banned substances in all seven of his once-storied Tour de France victories, he lied long enough that one wonders whether it's best to condemn him to damnatio memoriae rather than spend another moment thinking about him. Solid sports journalism, though perhaps in the service of an unworthy cause—and, cautionary tale aside, you can bet the chemists are working on something new for the next generation of racers to take.

New York Times

“A compelling account…Cycle of Lies is a scrupulously reported and sourced book… a search for an understanding of the man behind the myth.”

The Guardian (UK)

“In Cycle of Lies, Juliet Macur sets out to untangle Armstrong’s lifetime of dishonesty...[and] finds some ghoulish new skeletons.”

Toronto Star (Canada)

“A riveting account of the Armstrong implosion...a tale right out of ancient Greece.”

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.

- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by:
Showing
all of
3
Customer Reviews

4-the-Love-of-the-Game

Posted March 6, 2014

Journalism extraordinaire! A no holds barred account of the Arm

Journalism extraordinaire! A no holds barred account of the Armstrong rise and fall. Truly well researched and detailed-filled. Macur's work reveals the &quot;why&quot; behind the lie. I was curious about what could be new, and surprisingly found about 80 percent of the content new information never covered before.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted April 12, 2014

Its hard to believe this book has not jumped into a big time bes

Its hard to believe this book has not jumped into a big time best seller. She has broke down what all the cheaters have been doing in the sports world. They really had no shame. Armstrong was the biggest fraud in America and that includes bernie Maddoff.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.